City: Ottawa isn’t Flint, Michigan

City officials want residents to know their operations are as transparent as the water they’re drinking, Sara Caylor said.

After recent investigations uncovered widespread lead contamination in the municipal water supply in Flint, Michigan, Commissioner Caylor and other leaders sought to reassure Ottawans about the quality of local water.

Dennis Tharp, Ottawa utilities director, said his department has progressive goals for using social media to distribute water quality information.

“We are looking at some avenues of social media, which is a big thing these days,” Tharp said.